Federal OSHA recorded a severe workplace injury
at Lewis Tree Service, Inc., 1938 Hoffner Ave., BELLE ISLE, FLORIDA 32809
on — Fractures, affecting the lumbar region.
Final narrative
An employee was trimming a tree while in a backyard bucket lift. The bucket, with the employee inside, descended to the ground, causing the employee to sustain fractures to the lumbar vertebrae.
An employee was flagging traffic on a public road near a tree trimming operation. A car stopped next to him as he stood on the shoulder. A second car, approaching at high speed and about to strike the first car, veered onto the shoulder and struck the employee instead. He suffered a broken tooth, a laceration on his tongue, a laceration and bruise on his head, several broken bones, and a hematoma on his left thigh. He was hospitalized.
An employee was sectioning a tree that had fallen across a driveway. He initiated a cut through the tree trunk and then repositioned to the other side of the tree to complete the cut. As he completed the cut, a cut section of the tree rolled toward him and struck his lower left leg. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured tibia.
A tree trimming crew had established a roadside work zone. The injured employee was standing off the highway in a grassy area. A pickup truck was driving through the work zone when it swerved off the road to avoid colliding with a slower truck in front of it and struck the injured employee. The employee was hospitalized with injuries to their abdominal area and wrist.
An employee was trimming a tree near an electric line. While the employee was up in the tree, one of the branches fell and hit his left leg, resulting in a broken leg.
An employee was using a shepherd's hook to help position a jib crane. The hook slipped and the employee fell into an adjacent structure, suffering three broken ribs and a punctured lung.
An employee was using a water hose to clean the outside of a wastewater drain system when he fell into an area of the drain that was not covered. Hot water and chemicals caused first, second, and third-degree burns all over the employee's body. The employee was hospitalized.
An employee was cutting down a steel above-ground storage tank. He was on the roof of the tank when he fell 20 feet to the ground, resulting in a broken elbow and sprained leg. The employee was wearing a harness that was tied off at the time.
More severe injuries in this industry (NAICS 115310)
An employee was loading the back of his truck with buckets of oil. As he was coming down off the truck, he slipped on a surface that was wet due to rain and fell about 3.5 feet to the ground, landing on his left elbow/arm. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured left humerus and required surgery.
On September 25, 2025, an employee climbed an aluminum extension ladder and was on top of the roof of a building She was walking around on the roof, inspecting and evaluating it. She was descending the ladder when the ladder slid to the right and twisted around as she hung onto it. She then fell 10-12 feet to the paved parking lot and the ladder landed on top of her. She sustained a fractured left collarbone, multiple other fractures, and had bruising to the left side of her abdomen.
An employee was riding a horse and leading several pack mules along a trail. A few mules started acting up, causing the horse to stir. The employee then fell off the horse and landed on a stiff woody protrusion that impacted her chest/rib area. The employee was hospitalized with a fractured rib and a punctured lung.
An employee was working on a tree thinning unit and was cutting a 6" diameter tree. During the back-cut when the chainsaw kicked back. The saw struck her, resulting in a 3-inch laceration on her left leg below the knee. She was hospitalized and required surgery.
An employee was helping a coworker transport a tall palm tree with a mini skid steer. The employee was severely shocked by a high-voltage electrical wire above the ground.
An employee was retrieving a Christmas tree from a shelf using a ladder. He missed a step and fell to the concrete floor. He sustained injury to his head and wrist.
An employee was operating an agricultural tractor during sugarcane harvesting. The employee sustained a lumbar sprain due to vibration or motion from the tractor.
An employee was moving a 3-ton condensing unit, strapped down on a dolly, out of a garage. The strap broke, causing the employee to fall backward onto the brick pavered driveway. The employee suffered injury to a spinal ligament in the neck.